A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy

In this first book in the Lightseekers series for children ages 8 to 12, readers are catapulted into the kingdom of Wildfel. Ever since the Great Betrayal 10 years ago, intrigue and suspicion plague the kingdom that is slowly losing its light.

Twelve-year-old orphan Finn wants only to take care of his 10-year-old sister Lydia and to escape the Bells, his neighborhood, to another part of Wildfel. Surviving as a thief along with his best friend Adrion, Finn provides as best he can for Lydia. But gangs and guards and hunger compel Finn to question his difficult existence: “He had to build a better life somewhere else—him, Adrion, and Lydia—and he wanted to do it before the light was completely gone from Wildfel.”

On a special night that comes around only once a year, “auerflies” fly over the Bells, seeking any light they can find in the Kingdom of Wildfel. When Finn, Lydia, and Adrion set out to catch the auerflies in nets, they encounter a mysterious stranger. Finn and Lydia are drawn to him, but Adrion remains suspicious and sceptical, yet intrigued. The children learn that the stranger—a 17-year-old named Ehrit—is on a quest to find the Lake of Light, a place that can’t be found on any map. It’s a hidden place that nevertheless exists, and “simply requires a different kind of journey to find it.”

As Finn and the others follow Ehrit, they are joined by more children drawn to the quest. While Finn focuses on the external landscape—the dangers they face navigating ominous countryside and terrifying creatures—he is unaware at first of how his internal landscape is being altered as his relationship with Ehrit and the other children grows. Whereas in the Bells all Finn cared about was being comfortable, now he realizes “maybe he wanted a life that felt bigger somehow. A life that could mean a little bit more than always looking around for someone new to trick, or over his shoulder to reckon with what he and Adrion had done.”

In this fast-paced, exciting adventure that explores themes of loss, forgiveness, trust, and new beginnings, children who are familiar with the biblical narrative might possibly hear echoes of the Fall into sin, the battle between light and darkness, and Jesus’ redemptive work.

(WaterBrook)